Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is a well-known, first-aid treatment ideally performed on a victim suffering cardiac arrest. CPR is an external heart massage technique that manually preserves blood circulation through a victim's body in an attempt to maintain the body's organs, primarily the brain, until a normal heart rhythm, or blood flow, can be restored.
In the treatment, a person's chest (i.e., sternum) is compressed. The compressions of the chest in turn cause compression of the heart forcing blood to circulate through the cardiovascular system.
Performing manual CPR (i.e., CPR compressions given by a person) is strenuous, even using devices that provide a mechanical advantage. Proper CPR requires about 100, 5-cm-deep compressions of the chest per minute, each compression potentially requiring a force upwards of 550 N. Therefore, maintaining high-quality, manual CPR for an extended period of time, even more than several minutes, can be exhausting. Additionally, as close proximity of the CPR provider to victim is required for manual CPR, maintaining continuous manual CPR is compromised when the victim on whom the CPR is being performed is being moved, whether being carried on a backboard (e.g., through doorways, down halls or on stairs) or transported in a vehicle.
Autonomous mechanical CPR devices, which are well known in the art, can overcome many of the issues associated with providing CPR for extended periods of time. These CPR devices can be associated with a victim and once started do not require human intervention, or even necessitate human proximity, and will continue CPR as long as their power source permits.
Autonomous mechanical CPR devices generally comprise a support assembly having a CPR unit (i.e., a device capable of compressing a chest) defining a freestanding structure. The support assembly typically mounts to a back plate, which is positioned under a victim, with the support assembly extending over the victim. In other words, the support assembly and back plate define an opening in which the victim is placed.
What is needed in the art are autonomous mechanical CPR devices that are easy to store and deploy, and are compatible with a broad spectrum of body types.